Cloud Strife
Cloud Strife is the main character of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, being the main protagonist in both Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. In Final Fantasy VII, Cloud is a mercenary and self-proclaimed ex-member of SOLDIER, a select, genetically augmented military unit operating under the defacto world government and megacorporation Shinra Electric Power Company. Fighting against Shinra in the resistance group "AVALANCHE" and driven by a feud with the primary antagonist, Sephiroth, Cloud learns to come to terms with his troubled past and adapts to his role as a leader. His official profile describes him as thus: "Originally a member of SOLDIER, he is now a mercenary who will take any job." An arrogant swordsman at first, Cloud must come to terms with the fact his memories are false and rediscover who he truly is. Due to his being a failed laboratory experiment, he was given augmented strength at the cost of having a frail mental state of mind. Despite the dark feelings he may have, Cloud remains steadfastly loyal and true to those he cares about and is always driven to protect them, even going as far as to hide his pain and emotions so he could not worry them. Ultimately, it is his selfless nature that gives him the ability to overcome his enemies time and again. Personality It is difficult to ascertain Cloud's personality, because he is actually two people: who he wants to be and who he truly is. One persona is crafted from his war-hero fantasies and his late -- and only -- friend, Zack. He wants respect, and thanks to a childhood saturated with war stories, the only way he knows how is to be the cool jerk. He is cool, confident and cocky. He is the tough, uncaring mercenary who will take any job so long as it pays well---or so he'd like to think. The other Cloud -- the real Cloud -- is much different. Growing up, Cloud lived in isolation for a majority of his adolescence; he was raised as an outsider, either ignored by children or accused by adults, and a trouble maker when he wanted attention. He believed himself better than the other kids, but his arrogance was simply a defense mechanism based upon feelings of worthlessness and low self-esteem. Thus he tried to join SOLDIER when he came of age to prove that he was worth more than dirt. The only true friend he makes is Zack, and even to him Cloud is conscious and timid. It is later, upon Zack's death that Cloud breaks down and imprints this "SOLDIER" personality onto his own. Due to his past Cloud maintains a tough time interacting with other people. It is such self-doubt that contributes to his greatest weakness. Above anything else Cloud fears becoming a failure. He has been branded one all too often; the people of his town knew he would go nowhere, and not even the scientists who experimented on him considered his endurance to be a success. It's not long before he believes it himself. So while he pretends to think himself above it all, he paradoxically believes himself to be below it all. This self-conflict takes physical form in the gigantic holographic image of himself that can be seen twisting and writhing in agony by Tifa when she falls into his subconcious. But for all his craziness and attempts to feign indifference, Cloud cares about other people. The desire to protect people consumes him so much that he feels completely useless when incapable of doing so. Protecting someone makes him feel needed, and he personally faults himself for allowing them to come to harm. He was there but he could do nothing; he did not protect them as he should have, so any pain they suffer is inadvertently his fault. Therefore, he makes it his personal mission to right this wrong and make sure it won't happen again. Due to his numerous character flaws he may not be the most traditional hero, but courageous and determined nonetheless. Biography Background Cloud was born in the sleepy mountain village of Nibelheim, and was neighbors with Tifa Lockhart. His father died when he was young and was raised by his mother. He grew up isolated from the rest of the village children, feeling himself somehow better than them, though it is implied that he longed for the friendship of the others. He developed a crush on Tifa, but hated her friends. When Cloud was nine Tifa's mother died, and Tifa insisted that she could meet her mother again by crossing Mt. Nibel. Tifa's friends followed, but they all eventually deserted her because of the difficulty of the climb. Cloud followed from behind, and was the only one present when Tifa injured herself in a fall.Afterwards, the townsfolk blamed Cloud for the accident, and Tifa's father forbid him to come near Tifa, which only increased his isolation. Cloud blamed himself for what happened to Tifa, thinking that it was because of his own weakness that he failed to save her. As a result, Cloud developed a bit of an anger problem, always getting into fights, not caring who it was with. Yet in spite of this new show of aggression, Cloud was still just a quiet kid who rarely had much of anything to do with the other kids in the village. At the age of thirteen, Cloud learned of Sephiroth and his exploits. Resolving to become a hero like him, Cloud decided to set out and join SOLDIER. SOLDIER is the elite fighting force of Shinra, advanced super-soldiers, with super-human strength, speed, and agility. He called Tifa to tell her about his departure, hoping to impress her. Upon her request, he agreed to come save her if she ever found herself in trouble. Despite his bravado, Cloud was unable to make it into SOLDIER and became an ordinary Shinra infantryman. He accompanies first-class SOLDIER Zack Fair on a mission, and the two become friends. Crisis Core Two years later, Cloud later returns to Nibelheim with Zack and Sephiroth to investigate a Mako reactor in Mt. Nibel, with Tifa to act as their tour guide. Ashamed of his failure to join SOLDIER, Cloud hides his identity from the townspeople and Tifa. When the expedition reaches the reactor, Sephiroth discovers failed experiments with Mako soldiers, now monsters, as well as the calamity Jenova, which Sephiroth mistakenly believed was his mother. The news of his monstrous origins turned Sephiroth completely insane and he set about destroying Nibelheim. Cloud witnessed his mother's death in the ensuing fire, and found both Zack and Tifa severely wounded. A grief-stricken Cloud picked up Zack's Buster Sword, caught Sephiroth off-guard, and impaled him. Cloud went to care for Tifa, finally disclosing his identity to her. However, Sephiroth reemerged, impaling Cloud through the abdomen. Summoning unknown strength, Cloud used the sword as a lever to hurl Sephiroth down into the Mako below, and collapsed immediately thereafter. Incapacitated, Cloud and Zack become test subjects for Shinra afterward. After four years of tortuous mako experimentation, Zack eventually broke out of his confinement and helped Cloud escape. Exposure to Mako in its concentrated form can be dangerous to humans and typically results in a psychological disorder known as "Mako Poisoning". Due to the experiment, Cloud was in a weak and delirious state as he had reacted more strongly to the experiments. Zack carries the comatose Cloud around while on the run for over a year. However, the Shinra army shows up block Zack's way. Zack fights back to defend Cloud, but after heroically massacring thousands of soldiers, Zack is finally brought down by the last remaining few, while Cloud is left for dead in his vegetative state. However, the sight of Zack being gunned down is enough to startle Cloud awake. In his last seconds, Zack entrusts the Buster Sword to Cloud, telling him that his legacy will live on inside Cloud, before finally dying. Sometime after the incident, deeply distressed, Cloud's shattered mind undergoes a radical transformation. Cloud impresses Zack's memories onto his own, leading to a memory of the incident in which Cloud takes Zack's place. What emerges in Cloud's mind is a fabricated reality in which he successfully joined SOLDIER and was Sephiroth's partner - Zack did not exist. Taking up Zack's plans, Cloud presents himself as a mercenary, believing himself a former First Class SOLDIER. Final Fantasy VII In Midgar, Cloud is found by Tifa, who is now a member of the anti-ShinRa terrorist group AVALANCHE. Tifa, perplexed by oddities she notices in Cloud, requests that he help AVALANCHE in their struggle. Cloud joins AVALANCHE as a mercenary and successfully destroys a number of Shinra's reactors. Later, Cloud becomes separated from the others by falling into the slum church where Aerith Gainsborough grows flowers. She agrees to join up with him to help Tifa. Afterwards AVALANCHE's base of operations is found and crushed, and Aerith is captured. Cloud then leads an attack on Shinra but the group is captured and imprisoned. Cloud awakens to find the doors of the prison open and the guards slaughtered. He follows a trail of blood to the top floor, only to find President Shinra impaled on Sephiroth's sword. The group later travels to Nibelheim, but they find no trace of what happened five years earlier. Cloud and Tifa are confused initially, but are interrupted when Sephiroth appears and alludes to a "reunion" that he feels Cloud should attend. Cloud hunts down Sephiroth, who reveals his plan to call Meteor with the Black Materia, which will deal a critical wound to the planet. The Lifestream, the sentient life of the planet, will emerge to heal this wound, and Sephiroth will absorb its power, becoming a God. Because Cloud had been injected with Jenova cells during his experimentation, Sephiroth has control over Cloud, who hands him the Black Materia. Cloud finds Aerith praying, but takes up his sword and attempts to attack her under Sephiroth's control. He stops himself in the nick of time only for Sephiroth to descend and impale Aerith, killing her. Her death enrages Cloud, who tracks him to the Northern Crater. Sephiroth appears and shows Cloud a partial vision of what really happened at Nibelheim, revealing Zack's presence in his stead. The shock of his past being fabricated, combined with new revelations and accusations, shatters Cloud's mind. He hands the Black Materia to Sephiroth, who activates it. As Cloud apologizes to Tifa for being a fake, the crater begins to shake violently. AVALANCHE escapes, and Cloud is left behind to fall into the Lifestream. Cloud is found subjected to intense Mako poisoning within the Lifestream. Tifa stays to care for him, but when Mideel comes under attack Tifa and Cloud fall into the Lifestream and into Cloud's subconscious. There, Tifa helps Cloud piece back together his true memories of his childhood by comparing their memories to find out which are true, while Tifa encourages Cloud to believe in his own existence. Restored to his true self, Cloud resumes command of the group. After taking their revenge upon the Shinra for all the wrongs the company has wrought, the group descends into the depths of the planet to confront Sephiroth. Cloud, follows him alone and defeats him at last in one final duel of wills. The nearness of Meteor, however, nearly destroys the Planet anyways until Aerith's spirit commands the Lifestream to emerge and push it back so that it may unleash its full power to destroy Meteor and save the planet. On the Way to a Smile Afterward, Cloud and Tifa build a new life together in the new city on Midgar's outskirts; Cloud quits his mercenary job and takes up a job as a delivery boy. One day while visiting Aerith's ruined church, a recently orphaned boy, Denzel, finds Cloud's cellphone on his motorcycle. He calls Tifa's bar, which he finds in Cloud's recent call log. Tifa picks up and asks Denzel why he has Cloud's cellphone. Denzel begins to cry and collapses from his Geostigma, a terminal disease that spread prior to Sephiroth's defeat. When Cloud discovers Denzel, he takes him home to live with him, Marlene and Tifa. Although their new life as a family with Marlene and eventually Denzel is happy, Cloud eventually becomes insular. Cloud leaves his family to look for a cure for Denzel's Geostigma. Unfortunately he fails to do anything more than get himself infected. Advent Children Advent Children opens two years after the events of Final Fantasy VII, in which Cloud is shown to possess much more melancholic tendencies. As Cloud is visited by thoughts of people he failed to protect in the past -- Zack and Aerith -- he falls to his fear of failing the people he loves in the present. Thus he concludes that the only way to protect his family is to cut himself off from them while he dies from Geostigma. Cloud doesn't want to sadden them with his situation; he knows he's made Tifa suffer before, sitting at his bedside while he wasted away from Mako Poisoning, and he sees how much she worries and waits over Denzel. His attempts at isolation are foiled, however, when he is discovered by a trio of young men, manifestations of Sephiroth's consciousness. They try to attack but are called off by the leader, Kadaj, after discovering Cloud isn't in possession of Jenova's lost head. The three remnants begin luring and kidnapping children that possessed Geostigma, intending to have the children lead them to it. Although reluctant to fight for fear of failure, Cloud finally goes after them. Upon seeing Denzel and the other children under Kadaj's control, he confronts the trio for a second time but finds himself outmatched and is rescued and learns about the true nature of Geostigma - a plague caused by Jenova's lingering cells. Giving much thought about previous conversations with friends, he finally resolves to confront Kadaj. Cloud finds the strength to take up arms again and defeats Bahamut SIN and the other remnants. Confronting Kadaj once more, the battle eventually takes him back to Aerith's church, where she cures his Geostigma. Cloud battles Kadaj and easily prevails, but the remnant absorbs Jenova's head and Sephiroth is reborn. The ensuing battle proves to be fierce much fiercer and desperate. After being thrown through a wall, Cloud attacks Sephiroth with renewed strength using Omnislash. However, Sephiroth repels the attack, stabs Cloud and lifts him into the air, paralleling their battle at Nibelheim. Sephiroth mockingly reminds Cloud of the pain the latter experienced being stabbed then. He proceeds to stab Cloud multiple times before flinging him into the ground. At this time Zack's spirit appears to Cloud and urges him to keep fighting. Zack fades, and Cloud finds the strength to finally strike Sephiroth down with the new Omnislash Version 6. After helping heal the infected children of Geostigma, Cloud sees Aerith and Zack's spirits near the doorway. She assures Cloud that everything will be all right, and fades. He replies that he knows it will, because he knows he's not alone anymore. In the credits, a shot of the hill Zack died on can be seen. Denzel asks if the place is a grave, to which Cloud responds that it is not, but rather the place where a hero began his journey. The camera fades to Aerith's Church, where the Buster Sword, now shined and free of rust, rests beside the water. Dirge of Cerberus A much more cheerful Cloud reappears one year later to assist Vincent Valentine in his struggle against the threat of Omega and Deep Ground. He leads the ground assault on Midgar, eventually facing Rosso the Crimson. The outcome of the duel is unknown, but both survive the encounter. He and the others eventually aid Vincent in Omega's destruction. Fighting Capacity : Having been in the ShinRa Company Army since the age of thirteen, Cloud has garnered a lot of fighting expertise over the years. In the original Final Fantasy VII, Cloud's job class can been identified as akin to either that of a Warrior or a Mystic Knight. With high durability, he is capable of displaying ridiculous feats of strength. As a Mystic Knight, he would be able to imbue his sword with magical attacks as well. More often Cloud wins his toughest battles through force of will, such as when he was fifteen and first threw down Sephiroth, despite being impaled at the end of his blade at the time. Despite specializing in strength-based attacks, Cloud has little trouble keeping up with small and agile characters, as seen from his defeat of Kadaj in Advent Children. :Final Fantasy VII has a system in which a character is able to access special attacks over time, called Limit Breaks. Cloud has a total of seven Limit Breaks. His final Limit Break, Omnislash, has gained fame amongst the fan community for the ridiculous amount of damage it deals, killing the final boss in one move. His official profile describes him as: "wielding a blade as large as he is, he deals terribly powerful attacks that send foes flying". Weapon : In Final Fantasy VII, Cloud wields a gigantic weapon known as the Buster Sword. Magic can be accessed through the Materia slots equipped into the blade. Though nearly larger than he his, Cloud is able to wield it easily. The Buster Sword was given to Cloud as a memento from Zack Fair as he died. Even after retiring the blade, Cloud still keeps it close by. Since Advent Children Cloud has gained a new weapon, known as the First Tsurugi, or the Fusion Swords. The sword is made up of six blades rather than one, and each blade is detachable from the main frame. A diagram can be seen here. :Cloud is also familiar with a sniper rifle, seen wielding one during his stint as a ShinRa soldier. Cloud has come into the possession of a large motorcycle known as 'Fenrir'. Capable of carrying all six pieces of his sword in front compartments, it is as ideal for a fight as a bike ever could be. Experiments :The main government and global power in Final Fantasy VII is the ShinRa Company. Endeavoring to create the perfect super-soldier, Shinra performed a number of experiments on subjects, turning them into monsters for military use. Following Cloud's injuries in battle, he was abducted by ShinRa and elected to become one such super-soldier. Kept as a test subject for four years, he was eventually broken out by his best friend, Zack Fair. Following the experiments, he went into a vegetative state, the resulting coma leaving his psyche fractured. The scientific notes state that the damage done by the disorder is so severe that it is highly doubted he would ever recover, and he is labeled a failed experiment. However, the sight of Zack being gunned down by ShinRa's military is enough to startle Cloud awake. Due to his time as an experiment, Cloud now bears the signature glowing eyes of a mako-enhanced soldier, as well as augmented strength and fighting capabilities. Even after recovery, his mind remained fragmented for much of the time. Relationships Tifa : The only person to be shown so far in Dead Fantasy with a previous attachment to Cloud is Tifa Lockhart. The two grew up next to each other, and grew to become childhood friends. Cloud harbored a crush on Tifa, but he was too shy to tell her, and nothing came of it. He eventually went off to join SOLDIER in an effort to impress her. It is Tifa who takes him into AVALANCHE years later, and helps him rediscover himself. As of Advent Children, the two of them live together, though their relationship remains ambiguous. In Dead Fantasy, Tifa appears to try to commit suicide in front of Cloud, saying she must help "her". She steps off a cliff, the same one Zack died on years earlier. Cloud tries but fails to stop her. She later wakes up in the setting for Dead Fantasy II. In the original game, Final Fantasy VII, Cloud had promised to help her whenever she was in trouble. It is believed he has followed her into the Dead Fantasy Universe for this reason. Yuna : Just as Yuna is about to fall to Kasumi's clones in DFIV, she is saved by Cloud. Many fans were shocked to see him, and bothered that he didn't rescue Tifa instead, who was in a much more severe condition. His unexpected rescue makes more sense when you analyze the the obscure dialogue in the opening. It reads: "Why am I here? Because... I trust her. And because... you... remind me of someone I said goodbye to a long time ago..." The first part is an allusion to DFV, Trust. Tifa tells Cloud, "trust me". Cloud rescues Yuna because he trusts Tifa to take care of her own business. The person he said goodbye to was Aerith, who died at the hands of Cloud's enemy. There are several similarities between Yuna and Aerith. They are both White Mages, have brown hair and green eyes (one in Yuna's case), and are alike in personality. On the other hand, Cloud could remind Yuna of Tidus, both being blond, spiky-haired warriors. After saving Yuna, she clutches Cloud and collapses onto him. It is theorized by some that the two now have a romantic connection, the basis of which has yet to be seen. Role in Dead Fantasy DFIV : Cloud Strife makes his debut appearance in Dead Fantasy IV and is the first male character to appear in Dead Fantasy, aside from Hayate's ninja clan. His entrance in IV occurred during the battle between Yuna, Kasumi, and the Kasumi X clones. Just as Yuna's last Aeon is killed and she falls forward in exhaustion, Cloud intervenes with his Limit Break, Blade Beam, which throws all of the clones back. Kasumi then flees to take care of the clones single-handedly. Cloud drives to the same city featured in DFV on his motorcycle, Fenrir, while Yuna rests on his back (notable for sparking a large number of relationship theories amongst fans). It is believed he is chasing the helicopter carrying Tifa. : DFV :In Dead Fantasy V, Cloud is only seen in one of Tifa's flashbacks, where he tries to stop her from leaping off a cliff, the same one where Zack Fair died years earlier. Before she jumps, she tells him, "Trust me," and a hidden message flickers, reading, "It´s only after you truly understand love ... That you understand absolute fear ... She needs my help."'' '''Cloud tries to stop her, but fails. Tifa later wakes up outside the ruined tower from Dead Fantasy II. Next to her is a white feather, Rinoa's motif. Future :Towards the end of Dead Fantasy V, Ryu Hayabusa and his apprentice Momiji intervene with Kasumi's battle against the clones. Momiji reads Kasumi's mind, reflecting on the events of Dead Fantasy I, II'', and IV. The montage ends showing Cloud's face super-imposed over the rest of the images, leading to speculation that he will become their next target. Others believe Cloud will battle against Hayate, due to his brutal defeat of Tifa in Dead Fantasy V. Currently, Cloud and Yuna are pursuing a helicopter carrying Tifa, piloted by Helena and Hitomi. As of the end of the latest installment, both have reached a cityscape where it is suspected DOATEC headquarters are located. Gallery File:Clouds-eyes.png File:Cloud_ffcc.jpg File:Cloud-charges.png File:Cloud-dangles.png File:FFVII_10th_Anniversary_Ultimania_Cover_(Revised_Edition).jpg File:Snap388.jpg Reception *Cloud has garnered primarily positive reception by critics. Described as "iconic," he ranks highly in various published character lists. Cloud remains popular among fans, and continues to place highly in popularity polls. *He was named best character of all time in Dengeki PlayStation's retrospective awards feature about the original PlayStation. *Electronic Gaming Monthly placed him seventh in their "Top Ten: List of Videogame Characters." *UGO placed him at the top on their list of "Top 25 Japanese RPG Characters". *He had the same rank in IGN's "Final Fantasy VII: Top 10 Characters". *He was placed in similar contests by GameFAQs, winning the "Character Battle II" (2003) and finishing second in the "Character Battle III" (2004) and the "Battle Royale" (2006). *Featured as GameSpot's "All Time Greatest Game Hero". *In an Oricon poll from 2008, Cloud was voted as the 2nd most popular video game character in men's category (and 3rd in women's category). *Cloud has also been included in some unorthodox lists; these include being ranked second in IGN's "Worst Videogame Haircuts" * He and Sephiroth tied for second place in ScrewAttack's "Top Ten Coolest Characters," in which Ryu was also given mention. Trivia *Cloud has numerous references in pop culture, including: **In Tekken 6, Lars can be customized to have Cloud's hair. **In the TV show Coconut Fred's Fruit Salad Island, Coconut Fred parodies Cloud through the episode Sir Nutalot. **In several episodes of Code Monkeys, Cloud can be seen walking across a street in Japan during Jerry's fantasy of life in Japan. **Several corssover references are also made to Cloud in other Final Fantasies.